> Thanks for all your work and observations greentoe... I am glad that this is of use. > I don't use the official gritty mix recipe for hanging plants. The added bulk density from the gravel is completely unnecessary. Yes! I agree - baskets hanging on anything less than a very reliable support need granite taken out and replaced with something. > I substitute pumice for less weight. Note that pumice has higher water retention capacity though in all those nooks and crannies than granite chips that have smoother surface. Particularly if the pumice particle sizes are smaller, you may need another adjustment, as smaller particles further retain more water than larger ones. > I need to get my hands on some DE because I think that will help reduce the bulk density even further by subbing out the turface. Oh, DE is lighter than turface? I did not know, as I only tried DE. > greentoe357 You said: It's not even two mixes. I also have an orchid mix now, a cactus&succulent mix and am slowly learning how... if you are already using gritty, wouldn't you just use it for cacti&succulents too? Just asking (I have just about all of my succs in gritty). Rina, Cacti often have naturally very small root systems, which makes large pots unnecessary (not harmful, like they would be with a more water-retentive mix - just unnecessary with gritty or another very well-draining mix). With very small pots, gritty mix's relatively large particles may become a problem - the mix may drain too fast and retain too little water - depending on how often you can/want to water. So I had to adjust the gritty recipe for very small pots - I did that by simply adding a bit of fine bark and by not screening the DE. You can also simply use the 511 mix instead of the gritty, although that is my less preferred thing for cacti in small pots. > I use "Gritty" for everything in a container grown indoors... from Orchids... Orchids! Jodi, I wonder how they are doing, compared in traditional orchid mixes, and how your care differs in it. I have not dared to venture into gritty mix for orchids. For more moisture-loving orchids, one part each of long sphagnum moss, coarse pine bark (coarser than for gritty mix, but orchid people would probably call it "medium") and coarse perlite do the trick for now in my zone indoors. For those that need to dry out more between waterings, I've tried mixes with more bark, hydroponic mediums added (growstone in my case), and/or moss eliminated - something along those lines. I might get Orchiata next spring and experiment with it as well, for both orchids and other plants as well. But I am always interested in what other orchid people are doing, to shorten my own learning curve. > I would add that you need eye protection to screen the bark, especially if it's reptibark and gloves, as they can give you splinters! That has not been my experience with my bark, true-blue, but I'll check how to edit the file more generally to mention eye protection, as it's a good point. I found nose and mouth protection to be more important in my case. I'd blow my nose with brown/red looking snot (sorry for details) after screening my bark - and this is even with wearing a face mask. And I got an absolutely nasty cough for a few hours after screening perlite - not a gritty mix component, but nasty stuff none-the-less. Now the first thing I do when working with perlite is shower hose it as soon as I open the bag, in order to keep the dust down. And I stopped screening it - you can't do it wet, and it just flies too much when dry, so if I can't use it out of the bag then it doesn't get used. Maybe I can screen it with a shower head instead of shaking the screen while dry - but then perlite dust will probably plug up my drain, as I have no outdoor space to do it. Anybody has done it indoors somehow successfully?

While it looks like there is a variety of successful approaches, I think the reason some have success with one approach and others don't is the nature of the stains. Some stains are simple body oils stuck in the texture of the nonslip pads. Using something alkaline like shampoo should work for those to soften the stains and allow them to be scrubbed lightly. WD-40 should also dissolve those and lift them. Other stains are based on hard water build up of calcium. The calcium can't be seen because it is white but the calcium will catch and hold the body oils. If you cannot get the calcium off, the stains remain. This is where an acidic approach would work. Barkeeper's Friend is oxalic acid with a mild abrasive. If the stains are calcium based, this should wash them away very easily. I would like to suggest another approach to the plain body oils with no calcium build up. There is a cleaner used in the automotive detailing industry called Super Clean. It comes in a purple spray bottle at auto stores, hardware stores, Walmart, etc. It is basically 409 on steroids. If you have trouble breathing when using 409, then you will really have trouble breathing around Super Clean. I bought some for my car and, of course, it works great. Then I read the label and decided to try it in the kitchen. The first thing I tried it on was burned on grease on a stainless pan - the bottom of the pan. I sprayed it on and let it sit for a "dwell time" of 10 minutes. Then I ran hot water from the faucet into the pan and 99% of it just rinsed clean with no scrubbing. I thought maybe I had a pan with grease that looked burned on but was just sort of already softened, but no. I tried it again and again with the same results. So that is my experience with Super Clean. I thought someone might give it a try on their tub texture spots and report back here with results.

I looked the SlipDoctor product up on Amazon after seeing their website, and the reviews weren't great. I also have to disagree with how slippery the hardwood is compared to carpet. Carpet can be slippery, but let me tell you, hardwood, when you're in socks, is much more slippery and hurts so much worse when you fall on them, flat onto your back! We have two long steps that lead down into our family room, my foot caught the edge of the second one as I stepped down, and I landed right on the edge of it with the small of my back. I was sure it was broken. Thankfully it wasn't, but I'm not taking another chance and have been searching for something to save me or someone else in my house from having this happen to them. I'm looking at some sort of clear tape. I'm hoping to find something that isn't going to ruin the new floors. If it does ruin them, it's better than ruining me!

Great question! This color selection matches our Walnut Tumbled Travertine Pavers. We can speak based on the technical specifications data received from the lab that Travertine is actually less slippery when wet. The dampness creates extra friction that allows the foot to firmly grip the surface when walking. The link to our product page is here, and you can see detailed technical specs on all products. What you are looking at is the Co-efficient of Friction. Hope this helps!